The invention relates to an insulated vessel e.g. a coffee serving pot or teapot comprising a container of plastic material which is open at the top. The container comprising an upper part and a lower part, with a glass flask open at the top being accommodated in said container. The container further includes a handle and a pouring spout molded onto or formed integrally with said container. The vessel further includes a cover for its top opening.
Insulated vessels have proven feasible for storing and maintaining the temperature of hot liquids such as coffee or tea, in the household. In such use, the insulated vessel is employed chiefly as a reservoir. When an insulated vessel of this type is used on a formal coffee table (set with tableware) it appears out of place, because its exterior form does not match that of the coffee service being used.
Thus it is an object of the invention to devise an insulated vessel having an outer shape which as closely as possible matches that of a traditional coffee serving pot.
The invention provides, with respect to an insulated vessel of the type described above, that the pouring spout is integrally attached to the lower half of the container and extends freely to the height of the top opening of the container and that the glass flask comprises a tubular projection nipple which extends into the pouring spout. This enables a coffee serving pot to be formed which has the typical pot-belly shape, where the pouring spout may rise from the low-lying pot-belly region of the pot upward in a straight line or in a slightly curving configuration. Thus, the inventive insulated vessel may match the shape of the classical coffee serving pot to the extent that it is fully integrable into a traditional coffee service, and will no longer be perceived as intrusive or out of place when used on a coffee serving table.
The glass flask may be in the form of a double-walled vacuum insulating container. Additionally or alternatively, a layer of insulation, particularly comprised of polyurethane foam material, may be put in place between the glass flask provided with supports and the container with pouring spout. In this way, the capacity to maintain the temperature of beverages is sustantially improved.
When assembling the insulated vessel, insertion of the glass flask with its supports is facilitated if the upper section of the base of the pouring spout is integrally attached to the upper part or segment of the container and the lower section of the base of the pouring spout is integrally attached to the lower segment of the container. Advantageously, the mouth of the pouring spout may extend beyond the upper end of the tubular projection or nipple, so that the projection or nipple remains protected and there is no irregularity in the shape of the mouth. Further, the mouth may be furnished with a valve or flap which automatically renders the mouth opening passable when pouring is carried out.